LA to The Bay

Chapter 38: Las Vegas (9)

Las Vegas

'You're so selfish.' I repeat.

'How am I selfish?' Harry looks at me with his big doe eye's again, his full lips turned down and pouting, like me calling him selfish is the most unlikely thing in the world.

'Where are you going?' His face changes from hurt to exasperated as I start to walk away from him.

'I'm going back to the hotel, like I was originally doing, before you stuck your tongue down my throat.'

'But you liked it, I could tell.' I can't tell if he is angry with my reaction or pleading with me to confirm that he is right, that I did enjoy him kissing me.

'I...' I splutter, trying to prove him wrong by denying that what he just said isn't true, but the words just won't come out.

'See, you can't deny it. You like me too.' He is so cocky, especially the way the he is tapping his suede Chelsea boot on the ground and rolling his eyes, demanding that I answer him. I mean seriously, who wears boots in this heat anyway?

'You are so obnoxious, I can't deny that.' I spit at him.

'I'm obnoxious?' He is laughing again. 'I think you need to take a long hard look at yourself, because you are by far the most obnoxious and aloof person I have ever met.'

'I am not aloof.' I defend myself. I know I can be a little particular but that's just because I have taste and aren't willing to just do and believe everything that the masses tell me, and so I don't see how knowing my own mind equates to me being aloof.

'Yes you are.' OMG, he is seriously continuing with this? 'Like when I try to talk to you and you just turn your nose up and blank me.'

'I act like that to protect myself.' This is partly true, with the rest of the reason being that I hate him for how he has denied me from being with Louis, or at least I thought he had.

'To protect yourself form what?' His eyes narrow, like he isn't accepting my answer.

'From the fact that I'll never be in the "cool gang" and be like Lottie and Marty and Juno, you know the sort of girls that have always been popular since birth. So I'm not going to be nice to you to only hear them say something mean about me in the next sentence.'

'Why would they be mean to you?' I thought I was meant to be the naïve one here, didn't I just explain that Harry?

'They would be mean to me because girls like them don't like girls like me, the nerds, and they especially don't like girls like me hanging around the boys that they like.'

'But you're not a nerd.' He looks genuinely confused by my justification. 'A weirdo yes, but not a nerd.'

'Anyway what about Louis?' I get to the actual point of why Harry should not be kissing me. 'Have you magically forgotten about your so called best friend?'

'Do you think I don't know that.' He looks pained as he speaks. 'But he's made it quite clear that he wants you to meet new people.' He's treading lightly, aware that the mention of Louis's rejection may result in a full meltdown from me. 'So I don't see why that person can't be me?'

'Because you're his best friend and I'm his ex-girlfriend.' Do I really need to be stressing these words so firmly? I look at him wide eyed, willing him to agree with me.

'Okay. I shan't mention it again.' He sighs, looking defeated. 'But at least let me walk you home, I know you're "independent" and all, but it's really not safe in this part of town, well at any time of day, but especially not now in the middle of the night.'

'Fine, but I don't have anything else to say to you, and you can stand at least a metre behind me.'

'I can what?'

'Stand behind me.' It seems a reasonable enough request to me so I'm not sure why I have to repeat myself.

'See, this is just another example of you acting like the Queen, by having me walk behind you.'

'I want you to walk behind me to keep you at arm's length, so you can't try and snog me again.' We both laugh at my words. It's strange, despite what just happened, it feels like the constant heavy heat of air, which lingers thick and causes this permanent headache between us, has cleared somewhat, that the thunder cloud has at last erupted and the tension has lessened. It's almost like I don't feel the urge to punch him quite as much as I normally do.

We walk in silence as we leave the grounds of the MGM Grand and cross the freeway back to the motel, Harry obeying my instruction of walking behind me, at least until we approach the bus shelter where the areas community of life's forgotten souls congregate, at which point he feels it appropriate to put his arm around me.

'Get off me.' I thrust his arm away from me.

'I'm just trying to protect you around these guys, it's not safe around here.' He hisses.

'Ain't young love grand.' One of the old guys thrusts his can of beer in to the air as we walk past the bus shelter.

'Sure is.' Harry gives his best dimpled grin at them encouragingly, earning an eye roll from me.

'So are you going to invite me in?' He wiggles his eyebrows as we arrive at my room.

'Erm, that would be a no.' He surely can't be serious?

'Well, it's your loss.' Despite all of my rejections tonight he seems to be in good humour and I can't find it in myself to offer any more of a mean reply.

'Good night Harry.' I close the door on him as he stands with his head thrust forward and his lips puckered, jokingly offering to kiss me.